City of Splendors

Episode Recap: Season II, Episode VIII

Through the Looking Glass

29

JUN/17

D ay broke on a chilly morning in Waterdeep. While the rest of the party went about their morning rituals, Vyurek awoke to news of a visitor to the Monastery. His old mentor and friend Firaq had come to Waterdeep at the behest of General Oberyn Ironfist, commander of the City Guard, to school his troops in the ways of the Duskblades.

Once his companions caught up with him, they began to plot their next move. Turning their attention to the Crown Adamant, rescued when Gyudd was murdered by Drow assassins, they discussed how to find out more about it in order to learn what would compel the dark elves to launch such a bold attack. Aystra had little patience for all this talk, however, and demanded the party set out to gather information to aid them in their current quest.
They began by hitting the streets, trying to learn what they could about The Eye — the criminal empire rumoured to be responsible for ambushing them in the Castle Ward. Their first stop would be the nearby City Watch barracks, where the only surviving assailant was interred. Upon interviewing him, he reluctantly gave them the name Colstan Rhuul, claiming this man was responsible for organizing the attack.

Their next destination would be the Yawning Portal Inn, to track down their old friend Ellithral the Golden, to see what he could tell them about Rhuul. They would also follow up on Ellithral’s promise to arrange a meeting with his employer to learn more about the shadowy figure’s motives. Later that day, the adventurers would meet the mysterious employer beneath the streets of the Dock Ward, where she offered them a new assignment. She revealed to the group that she has been sending them out to collect a number of artifacts from Undermountain that are believed to bear some unknown power — to what ends, she claimed she did not know, but great enough that the Drow had begun sending their best soliders to recover the relics. Another artifact had been located, and she pressed the party with recovering it before the wicked Drow could get their hands on it.

During their trek through the streets of Waterdeep, they would also encounter Oyin once again, the simple but friendly orc courier of Goolstoc’s Freight Company. As he carted them around the city, he unwittingly revealed that he was once a member of the Red Fang Orcs, the very clan the party was tracking for their affiliation with Emissary Machalat Burakazi. He had been banished from the clan two years prior, seen as the runt of the tribe, and made his way to Waterdeep, where he took up employment with the city’s freight maven.
As the day wore on, they were finally summoned to the palace, where they were received at last by Open Lord Piergeiron Paladinson and Lady Mage Laeral Silverhand. Aystra assembled the materials needed to cast her scrying spell on the Emissary in hopes of learning more information about her motives. At once, they saw the Emissary riding through the night, speaking to a cloaked figure of their deals with the orc tribes. The mysterious figure silenced her at once, keeping them from learning any more.

Finally convinced of the Emissary’s nefarious plot, Paladinson pledged action. But as if on cue, the adventurers and their hosts were warned of an imminent threat: a massive orc army had assembled and was advancing on the nearby town of Daggerford. Paladinson pleaded for the party to accompany his troops to assist in the defence of the valuable trading town, leaving them with an important decision: would they attempt to fight off the orcs and defend a valuable Waterdeep ally, or venture back into Undermountain to prevent the Drow from stealing the artifact?